Lolita Blog Carnival: 2015 Lolita Trend Forecast

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival looked like a fun one, so despite quite a long time of not joining in, I just had to do this one! The topic is: 2015 Lolita Trend Forecast.

In the past year or so, a lot of really interesting new trends have been popping up in Lolita and the very idea of what the "traditional" Lolita looks like has vastly changed! I think 2015 is going to be an exciting year for Lolita trends, so for the topic of this Lolita Blog Carnival I've chosen 5 trend predictions for 2015 that I think are very likely.


I definitely think that in 2015 we're going to continue stepping away from the "traditional" Lolita shape of a very fitting bodice that flares out to a cupcake at the natural waist and stops short above the knees. I definitely think we're going to see the continuation of the trend of longer hemlines, increasingly deflated skirts, and higher waists. One of the reasons why I think this trend is going to continue to grow is because of just how versatile this look is! An a-line dress can have either a mature and sophisticated look with a longer hemline, or a youthful and retro feel with a shorter hemline. Lolita designers are no longer confined to "coloring within the lines" of the traditional silhouette to evoke a mood or aesthetic, but have much more room to fiddle with the overall look.

 In 2015, I think that there will be many more accepted styles of headwear, just like with the silhouette, the "traditional" will be set aside for the more adventurous. For years it seemed like the only headwear of choice was either an Alice bow by default, a rose corsage if you were going for a very grownup look, or an old school headdress for a select few who were stuck in the past. While there have always been a few crazy few out there who would do something so ridiculous as stick a cake on their heads, this was always the exception and usually reserved for the daring.  In the past couple years people have obviously gotten rather bored with this and have been experimenting with what they stick on their heads! No longer do people go for the default Alice bow and save the birdcage for fancy meetups, but even the most casual Lolita get together calls for creative head gear. From halos, to veils, to rose crowns, to books, to picture frames, to giant bonnets covered in flowers, there seems to be no limit to what a Lolita can stick on her head. I definitely think that this is a trend that will continue into 2015 and will be picked up more by mainstream brands, rather than just the DIY spirited Lolitas.

 The cross motif was at one time probably one of the fashion's oldest and most iconic prints, hitting big when Gothic Lolita was at the forefront of the fashion in the early 2000s. Recently this religious twist has come back, with a vengeance! I think that 2015 will see much more of this religious iconography trend in everything from more nun dresses, prints of classic religious paintings, to accessories that evoke a holy feel. No longer will the fashionable Lolita strive to look like a cupcake or a fairy princess, but rather she will want to look like she stepped right out of a church fresco.

 Does anyone else remember how over the top wacky it was when Angelic Pretty would release a dress with a pompom trim? "That's just... too much!" people would exclaim. Well, those days are long behind us and more and more dresses are being trimmed with just about anything other than lace. I think that 2015 will see more brand releases with much more variety of trims, including many different kinds of trims on the same piece, for a more lush and opulent look. I think that in 2015 we can expect to see beading, tassels, fringe, charms, and pretty much anything more adventurous than a grosgrain ribbon adorning the newest looks from brands.

 I have noticed a big Boystyle or Prince comeback within the fashion! For years Boystyle was just sort of there as an option that most people only chose to dabble in with off-the rack clothes, and honestly the style was stagnant for years (This old post of mine has very quickly become hilariously out dated!), but now all the sudden brands seem to be interested in releasing creative takes on the style beyond the typical black knickerbockers, white blouse, and a top hat. In fact, a handful of years ago if you would suggested Boystyle in either a Classic or Sweet option, you'd be met with a lot of skepticism. Nowadays Boystyle is just as diverse as Lolita. I think that 2015 will see a lot more Boystyle, both from brands, and in general at Lolita friendly events.

Overall, I think the theme for 2015's trends will be variety. We'll be seeing a lot of the old classics be reimagined, and the traditional take the back seat for the more avant-garde. I think that a lot of trends we're only just now seeing the beginning of, such as longer more relaxed silhouettes and religious iconography will really begin to take off in the upcoming year in a big way! The last year or so has seen a huge influx of indie brands releasing really creative pieces, as well as a lot more DIY spirit among Lolitas, and I really feel like this new variety in the fashion is really speeding up the evolution of Lolita fashion.

What do you think 2015 will hold for Lolita?

The Bloody Tea Party also joined in on this week's LBC topic!

Art-Loli: Dramatic Lolita Styles

Recently I stumbled across a post about the Brilliant Star event in Japan compiling some really stunning outfits under the name Art-Loli (short for Artistic Lolita). These outfits were all stunning! They really took the over-the-top decadent trends to the extreme, it's no doubt that these outfits are practically a work of art themselves! The styles bordered on what is generally considered "acceptable" in Lolita, lots of floor length gowns, quirky coordinations, and unusual trims.



Big elaborate hats are also something I saw a lot of! These girls are not content with just wearing a headdress or an Alice bow, but instead go for full size Victorian styled hats, completely covered in trimmings!




The stylings are very quirky, lots of mismatched patterns, and creepy-cute details. But despite the apparent haphazard look, they are all so thematic that even the most ridiculous accessory works perfectly with the outfit.




Unusual trims have always been a love-it or hate-it thing in Lolita, ever since Angelic Pretty put a pompom trim on their most infamous print (Puppet Circus!), Lolitas have not exactly known what to think of these types of details that maybe are more appropriate attached to a fancy pair of curtains or along the bottom of a couch. But with Art-Loli these trims are embraced! From tassles to fringe to braiding, these outfits have it all.


 While most of these coordnates feature bold colors, antique golds, and jewel tones, pastels aren't left out in the cold! An outfit like this differs from the usual fare of OTT Sweet Lolita because the individual details are all so elegant. While it may share the same color pallet, and same amount of accessories, the details are all very elegant and opulent, as opposed to kawaii and childlike. Something like this reminds me of a more grownup version of OTT Sweet.





This outfit is actually relatively simple compared to the others! But the bold black and white, with touches of gold and rich red, in addition to the thematic accessories such as the eye patch, really makes the coordinate stand out from your average Lolita coordinate.

This might be more of just a style trend, than a proper Lolita substyle, but I think that Art-Loli really puts a name to a style I've been noticing a lot lately (most notably with the rise in the popularity of Shironuri and OTT Classic), and even been around in the background for a very long time.

 Taobao's Classical Puppets is a brand that immediately spring to mind. A friend recently described it as "burlesque steampunk circus", which really hammers home how unplaceable this style was prior to discovering the term Art-Loli.

Kirakira Shoten was another brand that sprang to mind. They've kind of been on the outskirts of the Lolita fashion for years with their really over-the-top colorful corset dresses and crazy hats. There are a ton of other brands out there that would be perfect for the Art-Loli style, from Vierge Vampur to Atelier Pierrot even to Baby the Stars Shine Bright's special sets.

To see some more examples of Art-Loli, check out these posts about the Brilliant Star events by Triple Fortune at Rokkyuu Magazine and Style Arena. Art-Loli is the perfect style to break out for events like this! It's dramatic, eye catching, and very refreshing to see. It's a little different from the usual popular styles, a little more playful and a bit more Gothic. I am excited to see someone has put a name to the style, and I can't wait to see where it goes!

What do you think about this Art-Loli trend? I think it's unmistakably "out-of-the-box" thinking, and not exactly something that can easily be put into an already existing style (like the age-old Bittersweet Lolita, which is literally just Sweet Lolita in black), so where normally I'm not too keen on jumping on naming a style at the first sign it might be a trend, I think that this particular style has been around and relatively nameless for long enough that I really like the idea of finally giving it a name.

Wearing Sugary Sweet Pastels With Classic Lolita

It's pretty obvious that Classic Lolita is this year's big thing. Take a look at almost any large-scale Lolita gathering where everyone dons their most impressive outfit and it's a sea of Classic Lolita as far as the eye can see!

But what is the Lolita to do who isn't ready to give up her pastels, but wants to get in on this opulent decadence that everyone is excited about and aren't exactly ready to go full Marie Antoinette or in a Sweet-Classic hybrid? Luckily nowadays Lolitas are much more open about what sort of colors different styles can wear! No longer are Classic Lolitas confined to jewel tones and mute colors, but they can dabble in sugary sweet pastels just as much as the Sweet Lolita can.

Finding Classic Lolita styled dresses in Sweet Lolita true pastels is probably the hardest part! But there are a few pieces out there, especially now with Classic Lolita on the rise and brand's spring releases already in stores. Look for traditional Classic designs, cuts, and materials, only in soft and sugary pastels.

The easiest way to make this style work is to make sure that your accessories are all unquestionably Classic Lolita inspired. Nix the tea parties for a pair of Victorian styled boots or a more grownup style of heels in white or pink. Ditch the headbow for a Victorianesque hat or a corsage of pastel roses. Loose the twin tail wig and choose either a romantic flowing hair style or an elaborate updo!

 Two fantastic Classically inspired Lolita outfits using soft and sugary pastels! Taken by Crazy Kitch at Enchanted.

Adding in a second (or even a third and fourth!) pastel color to the mix, à la the Sweet Lolita trends, is a fantastic way to make the outfit even more decadent. A pastel blue jumperskirt paired with a pink bolero, a mint green OP with a pink ribbon tied around the waist and a pink underskirt peeking out, lavender jumper skirt with a yellow blouse: these are all common Sweet Lolita pairings that can easily be translated into Classic Lolita!

Sugary sweet pastels don't have to be just for Sweet Lolitas! For those that want to get into this new trend of over-the-top Classic Lolita looks, but aren't ready to give up their pastels, this is the way to do it!

Lolita Trends: Opulent Is The New Kawaii

Kawaii is dead, long live the opulent! Okay, so that might be a little extreme, but I have definitely noticed a change in Lolita trends lately. A few years ago, to be the best Lolita you could possibly be, it was encouraged to just pile on the kawaii, quite literally sometimes, as Lolitas carefully would pin actual stuffed animals to their piles of pink curls. Nowadays, stuffed animals and pastels have been, for the most part, cast aside for more elegant trends. But that doesn't mean it's not as over the top as ever! We Lolitas are not exactly known for our restrained fashion tastes, so now that Classic is more in the lime light, of course Lolitas are going to go all out with it.

Ages ago I wrote a bit about this emerging trend here, but now that the trend is in full swing I would like to revisit this topic. When I first wrote that post back in 2011, I actually got a fair amount of flak from that article (although I lost most of the comments in a comment system move!) from people who thought that Classic Lolita shouldn't be elaborate, that it was supposed to be a more toned down style. Two and a half years later it would be appalling to make such a suggestion! Now there's no doubt that Classic Lolita can be just as elaborate and over the top as Sweet Lolita was known for being, it's everywhere! Without a doubt I feel that the previous trends of kawaii are being replaced more and more with opulent trends.

What exactly does this mean? I feel like there has been a definite aesthetic trend emerging. For the past few years keywords like princess, childlike, cute, and baby doll could easily be used to describe popular Lolita trends, and popular Lolita outfits typically featured soft baby colored pastels, shorter hemlines, and quirky prints and accessories that tugged on our sense of childish nostalgia (the 80's inspired Fairy-Kei was a very big overlapping trend with Lolita for a very long time!). Currently I am noticing these type of aesthetic keywords being replaced with similar, but strikingly different, keywords such as regal, refined, elegant, and porcelain doll. Let's take a look at some of the individual trends happening within this current trend of opulence!

Headwear and Hair

Bonnets have always been around in Lolita, and go in and out of style, but they've come back in a big way with the new trends, often worn with waves or curls. In addition to bonnets, headwear has gone less from just slapping a headbow on to wearing elaborately styled hairdos and decorating them with various corsages and clips. This new opulent trend has no room for the twin tail wigs of the past, or at the very least, there is simply no room for them under our bonnets!

Classic Prints

In terms of popularity, Classic inspired prints have replaced the more saccharine prints. Even Angelic Pretty, who spearheaded the ultra-kawaii trend, has been releasing more and more classically inspired prints, and often in bolder colors than the soft muted pastels of the past few years. The opulent trend has even upped the print ante a bit and has grown quite fond of mixing multiple prints in the same outfit, à la Dolly Kei.

Silhouettes

 Hemlines in Lolita appeared to be rising fast in Lolita, and petticoats were just never poofy enough for the kawaii trends. But in contrast, the more opulent trends favor longer skirts, often with underskirts to lengthen hemlines even more, as well as a much less extreme poof. We're also seeing a lot more empire and trapezoid dresses getting more positive attention than they did during the reign of the kawaii. There are still a lot of poofy dresses out there, but I think what we're definitely seeing with the opulent trend is a much greater variety of silhouettes getting attention.

Materials

Back when kawaii was king, most every popular dress was inevitably going to be a cotton dress and the focal point was intended to be the print on it, the rest of the pieces in the outfit (blouse, socks, bolero, etc) were generally chosen based on how well it's color complimented the print color, and were for the most part still opaque cotton. Now we're finding brands releasing more popular pieces that experiment with a variety of different fabrics, from sheer chiffons to shimmery satins. Even legwear is no longer limited to a cotton knit sock, but a variety of different textured sheer stockings and silky printed tights have been released by brands lately!

Personally, I find this change in trends very exciting! Super Sweet Lolita was never really my cup of tea, and I found the style of the individual pieces to go stagnant after only a short time, with the only real changes in the fashion during the reign of kawaii to be superficial, limited mostly to the realm of accessorization than to the actual dresses: hair, jewelry, and print trends changed while the individual Lolita pieces being released were more or less unchanged. I felt that the kawaii trends came with a "coloring book" style of experimentation, as Lolitas we were given a very basic dress cut and a rainbow of pastel crayons, and while we could do what we pleased with them, there was little we could do to change the basic dress with them. With the rising popularity of more opulent trends I am seeing much more experimentation among brands in terms of materials and silhouette. Of course, this trend is still relatively fresh, and it could easily revert to the "coloring book" style of releases that we saw for much of the kawaii trend, just with calf-length brocade dresses rather than above-the-knee cotton dresses!

Brands are still releasing cute and bubbly kawaii inspired pieces, and Lolitas are continuing to wear them, just as they were releasing more elegant pieces during the kawaii years, it's simply that the focus has shifted from one to another! What do you think about this shift from kawaii to opulent? Are you excited for the change in trends? Or does your heart still beat doki doki for the kawaii? 

Shironuri Inspiration for Lolitas

Minori in Shironuri

One of the longest and most lasting don'ts in Lolita has always been "Don't wear whiteface!". This don't has a pretty solid history of half-hearted Mana cosplays, bizarre Geisha misinterpretations, overly enthusiastic Visual Kei inspired crossovers, and over emphasized Goth interpretations of Lolita to back up the reason why. A "Very good try!" could quickly turn into an "Oh god what have you done?!" with a sloppy layer of white facepaint and some creative eyeliner doodles. However, the tides have begun to turn with the rise in popularity of Shironuri.

Perhaps the most famous Shironuri artist is Minori. She takes heavy inspiration not from the creepy and grotesque, but from nature and creates a soft and ethereal look that is a fresh take on the style. It is all at once girly and otherworldy, even beyond just the makeup, the hair and fashion choices look to be inspired by current Dolly Kei, Cult Party, and Mori trends. Layers of soft vintage chiffons are combined with faded flowers and vines!

While it's Minori's version of Shironuri that most people think of when they hear the word, there are many different Shironuri styles, as a quick glance at the infamous White Face Monster Party will show you, many of which are inspired by more traditionally grotesque looks.

How do you make this look work for Lolita? Personally I think the answer to this question is largely to master the makeup. The old "rule" still holds true, sloppily applied makeup will ruin whatever sort of look you happen to be going for! Luckily for us all, Minori has a pretty well done video on how she applies her makeup.



After a coat of white face paint, the Shironuri style is really so varied (afterall, Minori's ethereal look is just one of many possibilities within the Shironuri style) that you can basically do as you please, and that's exactly what people have been doing the world over since this look took off in recent years! However, there are a few trends that I've noticed within the style that seem to compliment the Lolita fashion very well. Please keep in mind that these are not "official" style names, and I am absolutely not the authority to go around dishing out names to these styles, I am merely pointing out the different types of stylings and themes within the Shironuri fashion, and even then, only the ones that I think mesh particularly well with the Lolita fashion.

Circus/Clown

Chrysalis Batlace

There are so many dresses within Lolita that are heavily inspired by the circus that this particular styling is just too perfect for Lolita! Think a black and red color scheme and even clown-inspired eyemakeup. I would go overboard with a style like this and add touches of gold, a ruff, harlequin patterns, and a bold red sash to an outfit featuring this type of makeup.

Ethereal

Minori

Minori's more ethereal stylings would go perfectly for some of the more desaturated floral print Classical Lolita dresses out there crossed over with a bit of floaty pale chiffon. Think longer dresses with an all over floral print paired with a long chiffon blouse and layered tulle underskirt in a dusty ivory, covered up with lots of layers of antique lace with some scattered vintage jewelry and a gorgeous lace and faux-flower hair corsage tucked into a teased pale colored wig.

Doll-like

Taikutsu

If the more elaborate makeup isn't exactly for you, and you have little desire to color coordinate your lipstick to your wig to your dress, a more simple and doll like style of makeup goes very well with any number of Lolita dresses. Personally, I love this style best coordinated with old school Gothic Lolita dresses! There's just something about black and white dresses that pair perfectly with spooky doll-like makeup.

Ghostly

Gama

This is a bit similar to the ethereal Shironuri stylings, but less colorful and a bit more creepy. I would go with a completely white coordinate with something like this, especially something with distressed details, think of older h.Naoto pieces, or even something a little Alice Auaa inspired. White Cobwebby tights, tangled white wigs, trailing torn chiffon white overskirts. A little bit of color can be added with the addition of some antique styled jewelry, to make the perfect focal point and to create the perfect ghostly illusion.

Of course, none of these are really "everyday" looks, but that's really the beauty of fashions like this. You don't have to wear it every day for it to still be something special, a way for you to express a maybe more elaborate and extreme aspect of your style or personality. I know with things like this a lot of Lolitas cry "But it makes it look like a costume when you wear that with Lolita!" which I always thought is such a silly cry, because your average person thinks we're in costume already, why hold back on something you really want to do for the sake of their opinion?

You can find more Shironuri inspiration on the tumblr, Shironuri Wonderland. I would also really recommend this article about Tsunoshi, another well-known Shironuri. What do you think of this style? Do you think a coat of white paint is enough to ruin any Lolita outfit, regardless of how well it's done, or are you as excited as I am to see people take the term "over the top" to the extreme?

Deer Lolita: Antler Headbands and Headdresses

 One of the trendiest things to do in Lolita right now sport a pair of antlers, believe it or not! This trend is blooming a couple years after fawn fur popped into the fashion and is definitely spurned on by the rising interest of Mori Girl and growing popularity of Classic Lolita.  It also laughs in the face of the silly notion that male deers are the ones with antlers! They're not something that's intended to be worn on a daily basis, but something that's saved for special occasions. Deer antlers are a little like the current Lolita's answer to cake hats: they're really ridiculous in a completely over the top way, and that's why we love them!

Antler headdress are largely a DIY thing at the moment, as they haven't exactly caught on in the mainstream yet. There are a lot of different independent crafters and designers who've created their own for sale, and they're relatively easy to construct yourself if you are handy with some polymer clay and a hot glue gun.

Excuse the instagram photo! It's the only picture I have of them for some reason!

A few months ago I whipped up a pair for myself overnight, using whatever I happened to have on hand, which happened to amount to some paperclay, antique lace, a brooch, and a few fake flowers. For such an incredibly simple thing to make I received tons of compliments on them!

I've put together an Etsy treasury for some inspiration and window shopping! What I really love about this trend is how it doesn't have to be limited to just one tend. There are antlers in pastel shades paired with delicate pink roses for the Sweet Lolita, foresty antlers in natural colors surrounded by deep jewel toned flowers and leaves for the Classic Lolita, or black-as-night antlers for the Gothic Lolita. Not only that but there are delicate and tiny antlers for the demure Lolita to over the top and oversized pairs for the Lolita who really wants to stand out.

What do you think of this trend? Is it just too silly to take seriously or are you as enchanted as I am by these adorable antlers?

7 Important Turning Points in the History of Lolita Fashion

Over the years Lolita has undergone a number of changes, some major and some minor. The minor ones are sometimes mere blips in the history of Lolita, silly trends that came and went, while some of the major ones have managed to change the course of Lolita forever.



This post is about the 7 major turning points in the fashion that I feel have changed the fashion in huge ways. As someone who's been into Lolita for a long while, I've personally seen how these things have changed the fashion and have often wondered how different Lolita would be if some of these things didn't happen!

1. 2003 Brands start selling overseas- I feel like the biggest change in the Lolita fashion happened when brands started selling overseas. This made it possible for people outside of Japan to finally get their hands on authentic (a word that was frequently used back then!) Lolita pieces without having to have gone to Japan or had a friend in Japan ship them their orders. This made it possible for us to, collectively, step out of our ita phase and get the chance to experience real Lolita.
2. 2006 The Lolita Handbook is created- The Lolita Handbook was a Livejournal that was set up to be exactly what it sounds like. It helped new Lolitas both define Lolita and learn to wear the fashion. Despite the fact that it tried to make it clear that the handbook was a set of guidelines, it unfortunately cemented the idea of "rules" into the community. The Lolita handbook was both a blessing because of how it made the fashion seem simple and accessible, and a curse because it was often misquoted as Lolita law.
3. 2006 Kamikaze Girls is released in the US- Kamikaze Girls was actually released in 2004, but that was the pre-youtube days of dial up and getting a hold of the movie, especially with the fansubs, was nearly impossible for most people. It wasn't until the movie was subbed in English and released on DVD that people could really sink their teeth into it. Not only did a lot of people get into the fashion because of this movie, but for those we were currently already in the fashion it was groundbreaking to see a Lolita, a real Lolita, in a full-length movie. Lolita clothes were still relatively hard to get a hold of at this point, despite the few shops that shipped overseas, so the movie allowed a lot of us to live vicariously through it.
4. 2007 Angelic Pretty goes Deco- This turning point is a little less of a pinpoint moment and more of a slow build up that started a year before when Angelic Pretty decided to plop down pastel wigs on the models in their Twinkle Mermaid ad. Deco Lolita happened on the tail end of the Deco trend in Japan and eventually paved the way for things like OTT and Fairy Kei Lolita crossovers as well as the Sweet Lolita prints that have become iconic of the style. The over-the-top stylings of Deco Lolita was one of the things that made Sweet Lolitas stand out from the rest and become the substyle for people to wear for several years.
5. 2008 Bodyline starts selling good clothes and ships overseas for practically nothing- Bodyline has always been around, although you used to only be able to buy them through cosmates at bloated prices. Bodyline opened up their site to overseas orders sometime before this, but it wasn't until they started selling nice clothes and had a $10 shipping sale that people really took notice of them as a legitimate place to buy Lolita. Before this, Bodyline prices were nearly as much as brand, what with the inflation and shipping, and were unapologetically ita anyways so very few people wanted them, it was in that era that Bodyline got it's reputation as being an overpriced cheap costume shop, because that's exactly what it was. Sometime in 2008 Bodyline took a turn for the better and surprisingly changed Lolita history. The first wave of cheap yet good Lolita that Bodyline started selling was incredibly cheap, skirts were between $11 and $20, JSKs were about $35. People who had previously only had a few Lolita pieces now could afford to buy a whole new wardrobe for the price of a brand dress. Lolita's closets practically burst with all the new Bodyline people could fill them with. Since then, their prices have risen and people have become disenchanted with them, but they still set a baseline for how much "cheap Lolita" should cost that has effected how a lot of people buy Lolita, for better or for worse. While cheap good Lolita is going to be in vogue no matter what, Bodyline's cheap Lolita was the precursor to the current Taobao obsession.
6. 2009 Spoonflower allows people to custom print their own fabric- As long as the West has known about Lolita there have been Western indie brands doing their own thing and supplying locals with Lolita. Up until this one point, if indie brands wanted cute fabric people tended to scour internet fabric shops for imported Japanese fabric that had that kawaii feeling that Japanese brand prints did, but that was about the extent of cute prints indie brands could manage. That is, until Spoonflower came around and allowed anyone to be able to design and print their own fabric. With this there was an explosion of indie brands who could finally create their dream print that filled a niche that brands would never in a million years be able to target. While the Spoonflower trend has died down a bit after we all came to the collective realization that the fabric Spoonflowe prints on is simply not worth the price and trouble and has a lot of drawbacks designers have to work around, it still played a pivotal roll in the Lolita fashion in the West.
7. 2011 Juliette et Justine releases their classical painting dresses- Just like that fateful day Angelic Pretty popped pastel wigs on their models, when Juliette et Justine put a classical painting across the skirts of one of their dresses, the Lolita fashion slowly began to turn in another direction. Away from saccharine Sweet Lolita, towards opulent Classic Lolita. Since then Sweet Lolita has been in decline as the Lolita fashion to wear and Classic Lolita soon started to become the style that was releasing must-have prints that people were practically climbing all over each other and throwing money at each other to own. This is a relatively new trend and it's hard to say exactly how long it will last, but looking back, Sweet Lolita was really only as big as it was for about 4 years, which is hardly the century long reign that some people make it out to be.

Of course, there are other turning points in the fashion, but sometimes it's hard to see them until after the trend has come and gone. Alternatively, some of the current things we think might be major turning points in the fashion might end up sputtering out before it really gets momentum.

In my experience with the fashion, these are some of the major turning points, but I'm aware that other people might have viewed things differently depending on how they interact with the community, what styles they focus on, and how long they've been into the fashion. What sort of events would you personally consider to be turning points in the Lolita fashion?

Ridiculous Lolita Trend Predictions Vol. 2

A couple summers ago I made a blog post making some pretty ridiculous Lolita trend predictions, it's always been a favorite post of mine and one I've meant to revisit for some time now! So the basic premise of this series is, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the first one, that Lolita has some pretty weird trends to begin with. Our preferred faux-fur print is baby deer spots, we wear tea cups on our heads, pair skeleton tights with super sweet dresses, and carry around purses that look like pancake mix boxes. So what sort of trends might be a little bit too weird for Lolita? Or alternatively, are just weird enough to work. This volume of ridiculous trend predictions imagines what could be popular in the upcoming fashion seasons!

 

Classic Lolita Armor

I can imagine Juliette et Justine starting this trend! It starts with one of their off-the wall photoshoots that, oddly enough, features real metal shoulder and arm armor paired with one of their elegant classic dresses. Soon Lolitas everywhere want to emulate this trend and are willing to drop several hundred dollars on metal armor pauldrons to vambraces (hey, it's probably not much more than the secondhand value of their JeJ painting skirts!) Thriftier Lolitas discover the famous craft foam armor tutorial that cosplayers have been familiar with for years and make their own. "Casual Armor Lolita" pops up when people don't want to go the whole nine yards and just wear pauldrons instead of the whole shebang. Arguments break out everywhere when people think that it looks too much like a costume, of course.

Bondage Pants-style Garter Belts

With the Pastel Goth trend looming above us like a big hip pastel shadow, the pastel colored bondage accoutrements are taken to the next level with bondage pants-styled garter belt systems. All the hassle of getting things stuck in the straps of your pants, without actually having to wear pants! A major shortage of sock glue, vital to holding up the garters attached to the straps, eventually causes the trend to die out. Angelic Pretty tries to revive the trend by releasing a pair of bloomers with attached bondage straps and garter belts, but Lolitas getting chairs caught in them and causing massive damage at tea houses across the world keeps the trend largely confined to photo shoots.

Brand Released Candy Jewelry

Remember when brands were tricking us into paying $30 for hair scrunchies? Well you're going to love their new line of $50 candy jewelry! Cute candy necklaces with big sugary (and completely edible!) hearts stamped with brand names, and giant ring-pops on gold plated bases pop up in various brand shops. Lolitas will go crazy for them and end up staining the collars of their blouses with half-eaten candy necklaces and getting ring-pops stuck in their wigs. The trend will only last as long as people can resist eating the jewelry, but for years afterwards, super rare un-eaten sets will sell for hundreds and there will be posts by eager newbies letting people know they think they saw Angelic Pretty candy necklaces sold at their local gas station, and post pictures asking more experienced Lolitas to identify which candy necklace release it was, but are disappointed to find it's not the real deal, but a regular old replica candy necklace.

Crazy Cat Lady Lolita

With all the releases of cat themed Lolita prints and accessories, soon Crazy Cat Lady Lolita is born, and real cats are brought into the mix. BYOC (bring your own cat!) meetups are held, causing much debate among the communities ranging from "Is it right to force Lolita upon your cat?" "Is it fair to exclude people who are allergic to cats from meetups?", as well as many partially shredded cat prints to pop up on the secondhand sales communities because, yeah, maybe it was a bad idea to get a bunch of strange cats in the same room as expensive Lolita dresses.

Wigs Made Completely From Flowers

While last time I predicted a wig overload trend, this time I predict something a little different. As Lolitas, we're all getting a bit tired of the wig trend, and try to find new ways to decorate our heads without using wigs. Combine this with the resurgence in Classic Lolita, and a need to cover more and more of your head with rose corsages just goes full-circle and soon flower wigs are born. Styled a little bit after the powdered wigs of the past, but made completely out of fake flowers in the perfect color to match your dress! Sweet Lolitas everywhere exclaim "And you said our wigs looked bad?!"

Terrarium Headdresses

I could see this coming from a brand like Victorian Maiden, who actually has an often forgotten about home goods section (ages ago, they actually sold a coffin on it!). I predict that they would originally offer cute little terrariums in their home goods section, but find the stock was just sitting on shelves. So what do they do? Glue them to headbands and decorate with roses, of course! Since this is such an easy DIY project, Lolitas all over make their own versions and Victorian Maiden, unfortunately, hardly sells any, despite the fact that every single Lolita is wearing their own within a week of them hitting the stores!

So what do you think of this particular lineup of ridiculous trends? More or less possible than the first batch of them? Personally, I can actually see a few of these happening! Terrarium headdresses don't seem so far out there, and the shoulder armor seems sort of awesome to me.

What sort of trends do you think are ridiculous enough that you want to root for them to become the next big thing? These sorts of posts are so fun, because it seems like even the most ridiculous thing you can think up can totally work! I would love to hear about your ideas on what you think the next big ridiculous trend could be, either in the comments, or in blog posts of your own!

Walking Billboards: The Brandwhore Print

With the release of the newest Innocent World print, there has been a little bit of commotion about something that pops up every few years or so within the Lolita community. That something is blatant advertisement on clothes, aka:

Ever since Lolita really got really big, sometime around the early to mid 2000's, prints that feature the name of the brand emblazoned across the front of their dresses has become pretty routine. The major print-releasing brands tend to release something every year or two that features their name a little larger and more attention grabbing than usual. Every custom print will feature the name of the brand in it somewhere, either nestled discreetly somewhere within the print, or integrated in a way that makes it seem like a natural part of it, especially since texts on prints in Lolita are very common, it's just the nature of branding and lets you know this is their unique design, and barring counterfeits, you're not going to be able to find it anywhere else. This isn't really a big deal for most people, but when the name gets a little too prominent, this tends to bunch a few bloomers.

 

Some of the many prints that have featured the brand's name in a place of prominence.

There are a lot of people who are very adamant about not being a walking billboard for a brand, no matter how much they enjoy the brand. It's the idea of "free advertisement" that really puts them off in most cases. I can get behind that idea in some cases. For example, I'm not going to want to walk around advertising a business that I know nothing about other than that they give out free tee shirts, or a brand of clothing that I don't care about and I'm just wearing to not be naked.

However, when it comes to brands I love, who do it creatively, I don't really see a problem with it. I see these brand's "billboard" prints as just as much of a piece of art as any other piece they might release. They feature gorgeous designs and creative art that I enjoy. I see a world of difference between this and a plain tee shirt with the name of brand printed across the front of it. Take the brand name off of a Lolita dress, and you still have an elaborately designed and decorated dress, take the brand name off of a tee shirt, and you just have a plain tee shirt. I genuinely enjoy these brands, and if anyone was interested, I would be more than happy to explain exactly where they came from and how they could get one for themselves!

I honestly have no idea if these brands are still what people wear.

There's also part of me that is still excited every time I get a piece from a brand I like, even if it's just a branded accessory. Practically no one who sees me carry it around in my day-to-day life is going to know what my tote with "Metamorphose" printed across it even means, but it pleases me to have such an iconic piece to carry around with me, and when it comes to Lolita, that's really what matters most.

I also must admit to being a bit charmed by the very names of Lolita brands, from the silly Angelic Pretty, to the secretly deviant Juliette et Justine, to the mysterious Metamorphose, to the often misspelled and somewhat incomprehensible Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. I personally get a kick at having these words and phrases, that tend to be a complete mystery to outsiders, in fancy script emblazoned across my clothes. It's almost like a secret language, or a call to any other Lolitas who might be out there in their mundane disguises. While everyone knows exactly what a shirt with the word NIKE printed across it means ("I bought this shirt at a shoe store."), only fellow Lolitas are going to know what a cupcake proclaiming "Angelic Pretty" means.

It's something I love, and something I don't have a problem with giving free advertisement to. If I didn't like it, I would have plenty of other options for things to wear, even among Lolita clothes. To fellow Lolitas, individual brand's clothes are often so unmistakable that even if the dress doesn't have the name of the brand in the print, we would know anyways. I see these pieces as the brand's artistic signature across their catalog as a whole.

What are your thoughts on these sorts of prints, or even brand's names on prints in general? Love them or loathe them? Just proclaiming your proud love of a brand, or do you feel like you're being used as a walking billboard?

Ball-Joint Doll Style Tights

To continue my theme of "things I have been obsessing with over on Tumblr", I'd like to talk a bit about these ball-joint doll styled tights that have been popping up quite a bit lately!

Dangerous Nude's "Nude Sox"

Lolita has always had a bit of a connection to both the slightly creepy side of things (of course, not all Lolita in general, but it's undeniable to say that for some Lolita styles and trends "creepy" is as much a part of the fashion as is "elegant" or "cute"!) as well as dolls, so it's not really an uncommon occurrence when trends or stylings pop up that are heavy on the creepy doll aesthetic! So, just in time for Halloween, I am all about these BJD style tights!

Tableau ball-joint tights. Buy them here, if they're in stock!

According to what I can dig up on Google, and through translated sites, the original pair that started the trend are made by the small indie brand Tableau and are sold via Selfer (Potentially NSFW). The originals are made in small batches by an independent artist (I believe the artist is Koh Ueno) and are typically pretty difficult to get their hands on because of that.

Quite possibly even more difficult to get your hands on, because of the whopping ¥3,990 price tag (that's just over $50 at the moment) and the fact that I don't believe you can order them internationally (see their shop-via-blog page) sinceI've only seen them on their blog, are the Dangerous Nude ball-joint tights. However, if you're willing to spend a bit and hunt down a shopping service their own sock line called "Nude Sox", and DN has a plethora of stunning ball-joint styled tights to choose from! Just check these out:

Not only do these feature ankle and thigh joints, but they come in a variety of options! The "plain" pair comes not only in white but in "Dolly Pink", and the other two are grunged up in a couple of different ways, Google translate tells me that's "Resident Evil" up there in the middle, and "Steam Punk" on the right!

If either of these pairs are out of your reach, all hope is not lost! If you're desperate for a pair of BJD tights (and I know you are, I certainly am!) there are a number of other, more easily obtainable and cheaper, options for you! If you're even a bit crafty, there are a couple tutorials out there how to make a very similar pair yourself. The best part about making these yourself is that you can include the ankle join that's missing from the originals that sort of irks every BJD collector out there, or even switch from black to a dark brown for a more naturally shaded look.

If you're looking to make a pair just like the Tableau pair, check out this semi-tutorial. It's all pictures, but the pictures are pretty self explanatory if you're capable of using stencils and an air brush. If you're not so handy with an air brush, here's a somewhat easier tutorial over on FairyTale a la Mode. The acrylic paint ones don't look so pretty off your legs, but they look just fine worn, and acrylic paint is often used to customize your tights.

Beadborg's custom airbrushed tights.

If you're in search of another shop that sells these, because let's face it, like any of us are ever going to get to our craft to-do list, you also have a couple options. Lockshop is currently running a preorder for a subtly styled pair of ball-joint tights here, and the Etsy shop Beadborg offers a more intensely painted pair of air brushed BJD style tights here. I'm actually really loving the Beadborg pairs, because of their custom color options and the detailed paint job! Unfortunately, the one thing the Beadborg tights lack is the back ball, but I've messaged them to ask about it, and was told that for $10 more, to cover the extra work, they can add it. However, if you want more up-to-date BJD tights (as most BJD's in production now rarely have a visible front knee ball) you can pretty much just wear them as-is backwards if you ask for an elastic channel to be painted on the joint.

If you really don't have the room in your budget for ridiculous doll tights, and really only just need the look for a costume (Halloween is right around the corner, and "creepy doll" is definitely a perennial favorite for the lazy Lolita!) there's an old cosplay trick I have heard of that basically just involves a number of black rubber bands of various sizes worn around the joints, see what I mean:

No idea who this is! It's a Shinku cosplay that's been floating around the web for years!

It looks convincing and is cheap and easy, just remember to take them off after a while so you don't end up losing circulation!

If you want to check out some more looks with these stockings, punch in 球体関節ストッキング to Google and you'll end up with a ton of results! I have noticed a weird trend of wearing the tights backwards, with the elastic slot in the front. As someone who has a number of BJDs, this is sort of irritating to look at, because I know that the vertical slot means that's the channel the elastic goes through to bend, meaning that their legs bend backwards! So if you do manage to either make or purchase your own pair of these and jump on this trend, remember that the vertical line on the ball joint goes behind your knee!

What do you think of this trend? I think it's currently a love it or loath it sort of thing due to the high creep factors. Like I've raved about this whole post, I'm seriously in love with the look! I'm a big fan of ball-jointed dolls, and of being sort of creepy, so these are definitely a trend I'm loving!